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The Supreme Court has declined the central government's plea for more time to complete the scrutiny of responses from 44 deemed universities threatened with the prospect of de-recognition.

However, the court allowed the human resource development ministry to continue with the services of the Additional Secretary and Financial Advisor (since superannuated) S.K. Ray on the three-member Committee of Officers scrutinising the responses of 44 deemed universities.

The court was told that the continuation of Ray on the panel was necessary in the interest of justice and expeditious disposal of the case. The application said that the replacement of Ray at this stage would be a setback as some of the institutions that have already been given hearing may have to be re-heard.

Disallowing the HRD ministry's plea for ten more weeks, the apex court bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Deepak Verma said the entire exercise of scrutiny of responses and submission of report (to the court) should be completed before the next date of hearing August 24.

Justice Bhandari told Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaisingh that if the committee gave hearing to two institutions per day, it would be able to complete the task of hearing the remaining 30 universities and prepare the report for submission to the court.

The HRD ministry informed the court that the Committee of the Officers headed by Special Secretary Ashok Thakur has already scrutinised the cases of 14 universities. The third member of the committee is Additional Secretary N.K. Sinha.

The HRD ministry said it needed more time to accord "patient hearing to the remaining institutions" and prepare a well-reasoned report. It told the court that institutions under scrutiny have given voluminous data as a part of their responses which is required to be scrutinised in detail by the Committee of Officers and it is a time consuming process.

The ministry said the central government will not be able to complete the scrutiny and submit its reasoned report within the stipulated time.

The apex court, by its order on April 11 this year, had directed the central government to give a proper hearing to all the 44 deemed universities and submit a reasoned report to it. The court had listed the matter for hearing July 19, 2011.

However, since the bench of Justice Bhandari and Justice Verma did not sit on July 19, the matter was adjourned to August 24, 2011.

Source: igovernment